Variable Pricing Parking Meters Unveiled in San Francisco

San Francisco has begun a two-year test of variably-priced parking meters in an effort to see how pricing affects driving and parking decisions in parts of the city.

1 minute read

July 31, 2010, 1:00 PM PDT

By Nate Berg


Dubbed SFPark, the project will start out with 190 of of the smart meters.

"The goal of the $24.75 million pilot project, backed with nearly $20 million in federal funding, is to prevent cars from circling the block looking for parking and to reduce congestion and air pollution.

Initially, drivers only will notice new parking meters, which officials hope will be more convenient because they will accept coins, debit cards, credit cards and eventually the city's prepaid parking cards. When fully implemented, the trial will encompass 5,100 parking spaces in eight neighborhoods, or about 20 percent of the curbside spots with meters."

Tuesday, July 27, 2010 in San Francisco Chronicle

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